We Make Strong Brands

What we do.

BrandWork Session.

• 2-day work session with your core team to define key brand elements (brand promise, positioning, personality, etc.).

• We focus on capturing what is important to you and what is important to your audience.

• Using proprietary tools, we structure the 2-day work session to extract the information we need.

• It is not brainstorming, it’s work – wear comfortable shoes.

What you get.

1. A clear definition of your brand strategy and a team that is aligned around that strategy (we haven’t lost a team yet).

2. A clear definition of stakeholders who matter most for brand relevance, their needs and a key insight that informs a unified brand promise (it can be done).

3. A clear brand strategy to guide execution (we can summarize it on one page – and everyone will use it).

Why we do this.

• We standardize the language and principles of branding. If it is complicated it won’t work (that’s a fact).

• We align teams on the strategy, so everyone is bought in. When teams support strategy, it gets executed (it takes listening and learning).

• We’ve had great success doing it this way (and we are risk averse).

What we do.

• Express the brand personality as a visual design language: color, imagery, type and other elements that become brand identity elements.

•  Define the key brand stories and messages that build brand equity and create relevance. From descriptor, taglines and proprietary nomenclature to tone-of-voice principles that empower others to write in the brand voice.

What you get.

1. A clearly defined visual and verbal brand language that is based firmly in, and extends, the brand strategy.

2. A rationale for the brand language that takes “like” out of the design process and gains team alignment on the “why” behind the “what.”

3. Smarter teams that learn the principles of design – which leads to faster and more consistent execution (always).

Why we do this.

• If brand strategy is the plan to create meaning, the visual elements and verbal language are the components that bring this strategy to life and connect with your audience.

• We believe that the translation of brand strategy into visual and verbal elements is where many brands fall down because of the word “like.” It is really built on sound logic, experience, and the psychology of design (yes).

What we do.

• Develop product line logic models that organize your offer around the tenets of your brand strategy (as it should be).

• Examine product organization principles based on the brand promise, equity creation and executional ease.

• Link the product line logic to the brand strategy as well as explore the design implications across the product offer (yes, the offer as it is today and in the future).

What you get.

1. A product offer that is grounded in architecture principles which support your overall strategy.

2. Clearly defined product line logic and language that explains the offer and each component.

3. A map that guides execution (e.g., web, print, packaging, etc.).

4. A roadmap for innovation: brand-led innovation as well as product-led innovation (they are different and essential).

Why we do this.

• Companies spend a great deal on advertising and marketing. Fact is, if your audience can’t understand your offer, they can’t buy your offer (or won’t).

•  A clearly defined product offer is a springboard for innovation (near term and long-term).

• A clearly defined product offer makes life easy. From training, to entering new markets (if you’ve dealt with a too complex offer, you know).

What we do.

• We explore identity elements to determine which best delivers the brand strategy – it could be a logo, a wordmark, a type, a color or something else (we don’t have a house style).

• We explore brand expressions in sample applications to learn ways the identity elements can best deliver the attributes we are intending to communicate. We can use these early applications to test with an audience to see if they are working as intended.

What you get.

1. Logo or wordmark for small, large, digital and print applications – with usage rules and key lock-ups.

2. Color palette and typefaces that embody the personality.

3. Other elements that deliver the brand identity: patterns, textures, graphics, icons, etc. that appear in communications.

4. Sample applications of the identity in use: business card, email footer, .ppt template, etc. (tell us the things you need).

Why we do this.

• Back in the day, “identity” was synonymous with “logo,” but now there are so many different applications for communications, a brand identity can include smell, sound, and even tactile elements that create brand relevance and lasting impressions.

• It is critical to consider all the components that your audience interacts with as branding opportunities (because they are forming an opinion about you whether you intend to or not).

What we do.

• Identify the key language components you have a need for and copywrite them.

• The 80/20 rule applies here – we can write for the key applications (“About Us” pages, PR sign-offs, web site descriptions, etc.)

• We develop taglines, key descriptors, and define the tone of voice for the brand, and have even written FAQs for launch.

• We provide rationale and examples for language choices.

What you get.

1. Key verbal elements; e.g. tagline, descriptors or even CTA statements for online ad units that are “on brand.”

2. Short, medium and long descriptors to show how descriptions scale to meet space requirements.

3. Other content elements (we will ask you for the ones that are the hardest for your team).

4. Glossary of terms and rationale (as well as terms not to use) for internal and external training.

Why we do this.

• We call this a “toolbox,” because it should be a constantly-updated document.

• New components can be added like FAQs, online ad units that get good reactions, or key phrases that resonate with your audience (based on testing).

• No, we don’t understand why other branding and design agencies don’t do this. Verbal elements are as essential as visual (Got Milk?).

What we do.

• Develop a naming brief that identifies the opportunity and the criteria for exploration and evaluation.

• Explore appropriate naming categories and names for each category. Develop rationale, and explore names in use.

• Conduct initial trademark and web searches for conflicts on selected names.

• Determine a set of names to submit to your legal counsel. (Yes. It’s not just getting into a room and brainstorming).

What you get.

1. Naming brief and naming toolboxes, with naming approaches and revision that address the opportunity.

2. Preliminary USPTO and Google searches for possible trademark conflicts or negative associations.

3. URL or IG account names that work with the names.

4. A set of vetted names that you can submit to your legal counsel for formal diligence and acquisition (we always suggest submitting a few options.)

Why we do this.

• Despite what some believe, there is no cookie-cutter way to approach naming. Names have jobs to do, which a brief should identify, and a name needs to deliver on that objective.

• It does take time to warm up to a name. Some think the sky opens and they know it when they see it, but it takes time to evaluate a name. (Accenture, Modelez, Verizon, Google all took us a while to get used to.)

• Great names are open to take on new meaning (Apple, Amazon).

What we do.

• Create a document that will get used. (And updated).

• Document in a clear and engaging way the brand strategy, design language, verbal language, tone of voice and identify usage principles. Provide examples that show the brand and identity in sample applications so people understand the “what and whys” for brand usage.

• We always strive to write in the voice of the brand.

What you get.

1. An easy to read and digest guidelines document that helps team execute consistently and efficiently.

2. A document that is not only a set of rules, but also provides a jumping off point for creative expressions. (It doesn’t make you or your team the brand police. No one wants that.)

3. A document that you can share with internal teams and external partners (that they will appreciate).

Why we do this.

• We have all seen two kinds of brand guidelines documents: either they are so dry that they live in a filing cabinet or they are so creative that they get shared but not used.

• We believe there is a middle-ground. We try to create guidelines documents that we would want to use. The rules are all clearly there, and there is a why behind the what, with examples that show the principles in action.